THE DIARY OF A HOUSEWIFE

“He writes answers in his own words”, our son’s teacher commented. Bursting with pride I replied, “That’s great isn’t it?” Taken aback, the teacher just nodded her head, speechless, unable to comment. As a student I was never a big fan of the rote learning method… which child is? A product of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools), I never had a strong foundation in most subjects and my understanding of the most basic concepts was always very shaky. Wasting all those evenings mugging up lessons was not my way of spending time productively; and the sad part is that I suffered. My Mathematics skills never came up to the desired levels and happy to be given a choice between Maths and Home science, I chose the latter in the XI, against all advice. However, the only way I cleared my exams, and yes sometimes with flying colours, was to pay attention to what the teacher said in the class and to try and understand concepts on my own. I had a knack of making sense of things in my own part...

If there is one thing all we women, the ones who work out of their homes, from their homes or for their homes, can all concur without any dissension - not many of those darlings around though - on, is the fact that “diamonds are not our best friends” it is the…didis, auntys, ammas, bais, call them what you may, who are without a doubt in my mind, our unrivalled friends, our anmol ratans . Their contribution to our lives goes unnoticed by most of us though in our hearts we know how much they mean to us. Life without these support systems can never be the same. They give so much of themselves to our families, our homes, treating us like their own families, sometimes at the cost of their own family, that they become a part of our daily lives without us realising it. For some they are just servants who are hired to do menial tasks at home, tasks which are too demeaning and degrading to even think about doing by themselves; for some they are helpers who are employed to share their daily...

Thank you Khurana sir for the lovely title and Pa for your valuable inputs. Seeing “Jhaiji”, my maternal grandma lying on a hospital bed semi-comatose with no consciousness of life around her, my heart sank and I had a gut-wrenching feeling of what I was about to lose again and had already lost when “Mummy”, as we called my paternal grandma, passed away over a decade ago. I was lucky to have had grandparents for all of my 37 years, but right now, with Jhaiji being in such a critical condition, there are some hitherto unidentified feelings I am beginning to discover. Remembering her lying on that hospital bed with so many sick people around her with all sorts of tubes attached to her body, only one thought comes to mind…if she knew what they were doing to her in that hospital she would have been very cross with us all. She had a fetish for cleanliness and was one of the smartest grandmothers I have ever seen; wearing the best cotton sarees she could buy - she called them “dhotis” - ...

As a newly married girl all of 21 years, I suddenly realised there were many things I had forgotten to experience and explore. So, there I was auditioning to join a theatre group. I was selected though not for my dubious acting skills...the theatre group manager was so impressed by the fact that a married woman was willing to step out of the house and encounter unexplored territory that the moment he set eyes upon my resume he knew he was going to ask me to be a member of his group. I had the happiest moments of my life doing theatre and I felt the need to share with you all my experiences little by little ...piece by piece.   It was many years ago that I had seen a production of a well known play performed by a theatre group. And then there I was a part of the group some years later. Every day that I was there it brought back memories of the theatre I did as a girl. The fun, the togetherness, the gossip, the funny comments, the nastiness, the tension, the butterflies, the be...

Something I feel very strongly  about   and felt the need to share with you all...something disturbing, very basic but seen only rarely.                            Question: Do you think there is intelligent life on other planets? Answer: I don’t think there is intelligent life on ‘this’ planet. This dialogue on a TV show I was watching recently put my grey cells into a spiral and I am still trying to find my way out of it. What’s wrong with the human species is what comes to the mind again and again. Didn’t God give us a larger and superior brain than all our other co-inhabitants on earth for a reason?  Over the years the reason has been long forgotten by the best of our species, lost among the rigours of life, the daily wrangling, and the antagonism, bereft of even an iota of the so called humanity that makes us so different from others who have the privilege of sharing earth with us. Ben Okri, of...

No it’s not the next millennium scare like the y2k, nor am I referring to the year 54k when most us will not be around, not me in any case, I’m sure of that, yes certainly too! No dear reader, it’s more near home and is an issue closest to our hearts I dare say! Yes, it’s all about weight watch! And I am about to describe to you my arduous journey to my ideal 54k grams. When I was a very young child, my mother always thought me too thin, as all mothers are wont to, and I was always encouraged to eat to my heart’s content. So it was that as a young adult I had developed a typical ‘khaaté peeté ghar’ ka respectable ‘live to eat with a passion’ syndrome, hovering between 60 and 62k on the scales. Marriage followed and inevitably conception which was my excuse to hog and not feel any the worse for it; and boy (or girl, if you like it that way better) did I eat? It was like I was participating in a never ending eating marathon. Before I knew, I was grossing a whopping 86k out of which ...

A very old ode to womanhood which my dad and I penned. Used this as the background to perform a ballad for a select audience. Even God believed man was incomplete Without a woman beside To replicate His miracle of life, again, again and yet again A countless times. I know not the evolution of the human species But I recall my growth from an impish girl With nary a care in the world The fun filled pranks and playing in the street The laughter and fun, the camaraderie. Where oh! Where has all of it gone? When I stepped into womanhood The transition was rapid and unnoticed. Where oh! Where are all the dreams of greatness and fame? Somewhere in the business of setting up home Did we lose that which we were destined to find? No, I think, it’s the perspective that’s changed For, haven’t we partaken of life to its fullest? And sent Air Warriors to snatch victory from the very skies?   As a daughter, a student, a hope As a bride, a lover, a wife As a mother, a nurturer As a provider ...

The Bible has a lot to say about the virtues of a good housewife. I believe we are all that and a bit more.   Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth f...